Jay Z Makes 2-Year Overall Movie & TV Deal With Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Shawn “Jay Z” Carter to generate movies and scripted and unscripted TV. Carter has been involved in such pics as Annie, Top Five and The Great Gatsby and is looking to elevate his presence. TWC has a two-year overall deal and already has a couple of projects that will be announced soon. This follows a first-look deal for The Weinstein Company with Southpaw director Antoine Fuqua.

Through his multimedia company Roc Nation, Jay Z touches sports, music and fashion, and TV and film seems a natural extension. He was a producer on the Jamie Foxx remake of Annie, co-producer on the Chris Rock-directed Top Five and was exec producer on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. The deal was negotiated by David Glasser and EVP Business and Legal Affairs Sarah Sobel on behalf of TWC.

Related Story

“I’m excited to tell stories from real-life prophets, whom through their struggles have changed the world for the better, and others whose stories are filled with fantasy and delight,” Jay Z said in a statement. “Harvey and David are visionaries both of whom have done this time and time again. I’m already passionate about what we currently have in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to discovering others.”

Said Weinstein: “Having known Jay on a personal level for many years we are thrilled by the opportunity to expand our relationship. Jay’s ability to influence entertainment and pop culture has gone well beyond music for many years. He approaches every aspect of his career with both determination and effortlessness, making him one of the leading power players in entertainment history. We already have some exceptional projects in the works and are excited to see what more is to come.”

Said Glasser: “Jay Z is an entertainment mogul with an unparalleled sense of the industry and limitless creativity. It’s an incredible opportunity to be able to collaborate with him as we continue to grow our TV division and look towards many more opportunities to create fresh content.